Dockery, 32, also features on the cover of the August issue wearing a Valentino silk and feather-embellished dress.

"It’s lovely to be back on the show again," she told the mag. "And because it’s the fifth year, we find ourselves reminiscing much more. There’s a sense of nostalgia this year because we’re that much further on. And some pictures from the first series make us go, "Oh my God! We were so young." We’ve all grown up together in a lot of ways. It’s a lovely thing, really."

"Julian [Fellowes] writes so well for women," she added. "He’s got a very good way with families. We’re all very lucky that we’re playing roles that are very complex, not just two-dimensional and predictable."

Photographer: Alexi Lubomirski , courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar

McGovern, who plays Lady Cora, hailed the show for championing elder women.

"Women in their forties and fifties are very under-represented by all aspects of the media," she said. "There are not many stories out there, and that’s where Downton Abbey is so nice. Maybe that’s partly why people have embraced it as much as they have."